Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory skin condition characterized by uncontrolled keratinocyte proliferation and potential systemic manifestations. Its pathogenesis involves activation of both innate and adaptive immune responses, leading to an imbalance in inflammatory cytokines. Interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23 are key cytokines in the pathophysiology of psoriasis and sustain chronic skin inflammation. Biologic therapies, such as ustekinumab (UST), have been developed to induce long-term remission in moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The objective of this study was to identify differences in serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers [erythrocyte sedimentation rate, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), IL-12, IL-17, IL-22, and IL-23] between optimal and suboptimal responder Iraqi patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis treated with UST. Clinical response was assessed using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, and patients were divided into two groups: Group 1, patients with an optimal response (PASI ≤ 3); and Group 2, patients with a suboptimal response (PASI > 3). Optimal responders demonstrated significantly greater improvement in PASI and body surface area percent change compared to suboptimal responders (p = 0.001 for both). In contrast, suboptimal responders exhibited significantly higher levels of hs-CRP, IL-17, IL-22, and IL-23, indicating a greater inflammatory burden among individuals with an inadequate clinical response. These findings suggest that patients with persistent disease activity have an elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine environment, which may contribute to their reduced therapeutic response. Cytokine levels may serve as crucial indicators that optimal responders achieve not only skin clearance but also deeper, systemic control of the inflammatory disease process.
The percent work was designed to determine the effect of ginger plant aqueous extract on function and histological structure of kidney in mice treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Ginger plant caused a protective effect against CCl4 induced kidney damage and improved the kidney weight and biochemical parameters including urea, uric acid and creatinine. The ginger plant has a protective effect against injury in the kidney of mice treated with CCL4, because the ginger plant protects the tissues of kidney from toxic effect of CCL4. The kidney of CCL4 treated mice showed many histological alterations in the kidney included: atrophy, vascular degeneration and hemorrhage, death cell, degeneration of epithelial cells, destruction of basement
... Show MoreBackground: migraine is a chronic neurovascular disorder characterized by intermittent attacks of sever headache with or without aura that can include various combinations of neurological, gastrointestinal tract (G.I.T), and autonomic changes, without evidence of primary structural abnormalities. The Autonomic nervous system involvement suggested by many symptoms and signs including nausea, diarrhea, constipation, coldness in the extremities, paroxysmal tachycardia and chest pain.
Objectives: To evaluate autonomic functions in patients with migraine and to clarify the autonomic dysfunction weather its sympathetic, parasympathetic, or combined. Also to assess the severity of this dysfunction and its relation to age, gender and type of
Background: Neonatal septicemia is a major health problem in developing countries furthermore data on bacteriological profile in early onst sepses (EOS) and late neonatal sepsis (LOS) are lacking in context of continuous change in bacteriological profile and increasing resistant strains. Objectives: The study done to determine the pattern of organisms implicated in neonatal septicemia in a neonatal care unit and to measure the degree of bacterial resistance to some antibiotics.
Type of the study : cross –sectional study.
Methods: Confirmed cases of neonatal septicemia admitted at Al-Alwyia pediatric teaching hospital for the period from January 20
... Show MoreBackground: Oral Lichen planus (OLP) is a T-cell mediated chronic inflammatory oral mucosal disease of unknown etiology. Recent studies have reported an increased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in such patients. This suggests that reactive oxygen species may have a role in the pathogenesis of lichen planus. Oxidative stress in OLP release molecules consisting of granzymes resulting in local tissue damage in the effectors. Antioxidants that can defend against oxidative stress in the body cells include enzymes, as well as non- enzymatic antioxidants, such as melatonin, uric acid, vitamin A and E. Purpose: To study the level of salivary vitamin E and uric acid as antioxidant agents in patients with OLP and compared with healthy con
... Show MoreA theoretical model is developed to determine time evolution of temperature at the surface of an opaque target placed in air for cases characterized by the formation of laser supported absorption waves (LSAW) plasmas. The model takes into account the power temporal variation throughout an incident laser pulse, (i.e. pulse shape, or simply: pulse profile).
Three proposed profiles are employed and results are compared with the square pulse approximation of a constant power.
In the present study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with outside diameters of< 8 nm and 20−30 nm were covalently functionalized with β-Alanine using a novel synthesis procedure. The functionalization process was proved successful using Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, and TEM. Utilizing the two-step method with ultrasonication, the MWCNTs treated with β-Alanine (Ala-MWCNTs) with weight concentrations of 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.075%, and 0.1% were dispersed in distilled water to prepare water-based nanofluids. The aqueous colloidal dispersions of pristine MWCNTs were unstable. While for Ala-MWCNTs and after> 50 days from preparation, higher colloidal stability was obtained up to relative concentration of 0.955 and 0.939 for the 0.075-wt% samp
... Show MoretA novel synthesis procedure is presented for preparing triethanolamine-treated graphene nanoplatelets(TEA-GNPs) with different specific areas (SSAs). Using ultrasonication, the covalently functionalizedTEA-GNPs with different weight concentrations and SSAs were dispersed in distilled water to prepareTEA-GNPs nanofluids. A simple direct coupling of GNPs with TEA molecules is implemented to synthesizestable water-based nanofluids. The effectiveness of the functionalization procedure was validated by thecharacterization and morphology tests, i.e., FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, EDS, and TEM. Thermal conduc-tivity, dispersion stability, and rheological properties were investigated. Using UV–vis spectrometer, ahighest dispersion stability of 0.876
... Show MoreObjective : To study the effect of some risk factors like age, smoking and Diabetes mellitus (DM) among patients with
certain cardiovascular diseases (Angina pectoris and Myocardial infarction), in addition to the assessment of the Creactive
protein (CRP) in the sera of those patients.
Methodology: The study was carried out on (100) subjects who were hospitalized in the Iraqi Center of heart Diseases
in Baghdad city and were suffering from Myocardial InfarcƟon (MI) (16) and Angina Pectoris (AP) (79) or from both (5)
over a period from September 2009 to June 2010. The results of paƟents were compared with those of (30) healthy
and age-matched individuals as a control group. Data were obtained from patients who were alr